02 Jul 26:
It's the time of year where folks are hitting the road with small boats on trailers, heading off to a variety of locations and events. And then the reports of trailer tire blowouts and hot bearings start to come in. It has surprised me that people will put years of planning into attending long distance raids and endurance events, but not put a new set of tires on a trailer or service trailer bearings. And hopefully they take a look at their tow vehicle tires as well.
Here's a photo of a passenger van tire that I came across recently, it was so old that we couldn't find the Month Year (MMYY) manufacture date code on the sidewall. Two of the other tires were well over 6 years old and mismatched, so the van got a newer set of matching tires with less than 2 years use. The tires get damaged by UV and road conditions, as evidenced by the dry rot inside the trad lugs and on the sidewall.
Ford recommends that these vehicles have matching tires with similar tread depth wear, at a minimum the tires should match side to side on each axle, optimum is for all four tires to be of same manufacturer and model. For heavy-duty models like the 15 passenger vans, tire safety is strictly regulated. Organizations often recommend replacing tires on 15-passenger vans even earlier, around the 5-year mark, due to the heavy loads and stresses placed on the vehicle. And proper inflation is critical as well, under inflated tires lead to sidewall flex, heat build up and burst tires. Fortunately we discovered this and got newer tires.
SO enough about tires, let's talk about small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS). I got to visit a local First Responder's facility and learn about their Drone First Responder (DFR) program. Here's the rooftop sensor that monitors the drone, the landing pad area and local airspace with a variety of sensors...
...and here's their drone-in-a-box, it is normally launched from a control room.
Bike ride to the local grocery store.
Checking out some old buildings on campus, I'm a fan of the era when buildings had lots of natural light and transom windows.
Hope all is well in your neck of the woods!
